What once was an abomination now seems like an aberration.
It's hard to quantify, really, how much the Steelers have improved from that opening 35-7 loss in Baltimore to this rematch Sunday: They're contenders at 6-2, confident in all phases, deeper than anyone knew and so strategically sharp that the noted New England scholars Bill Belichick and Tom Brady just left town with swelling, itching brains.
It's a good team, one that's enjoyed a wealth of quality individual performances.
And yet, in choosing a first-half MVP, I'll go way off the board, even off the 53-man roster, and take defensive backs coach Carnell Lake.
Most of us think of Lake as the cerebral four-time Pro Bowl safety for the Steelers from 1989-98. But in his new life as a rookie NFL coach, he has dramatically transformed what was supposed to be the team's No. 1 weakness into the NFL's No. 1 pass defense, with an average of 171.6 yards allowed per game.
"Carnell's really done a great job," defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said Thursday on the South Side. "Our secondary has played well. All you have to do is look at our pass numbers. Somebody's doing something right there."
"Coach Lake deserves a lot of credit," safety Ryan Clark said. "He's the guy who's had us prepared physically and mentally, who's given us the game plans. We have some good men in here, but he's the one that's put it together."
Seriously, why is no one talking about this guy?
Ike Taylor was a very good corner, but he's now one of the NFL's best, and he's the Steelers' best since Lake's old teammate, Rod Woodson. He's matching up against the opponents' top receivers and held Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald to three catches each, Wes Welker to four. Overall, Taylor has the league's best burn rate — how often a defensive back is targeted vs. the number of completions — at 32.1 percent.
For a comparison, Bryant McFadden's burn rate last season was 67 percent, the league's fourth-worst.
And how about William Gay?
Read more: Kovacevic: Lake is Steelers' first-half MVP - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/ste%20elers/s_765484.html#ixzz1cswd81f4
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i really don't get why he's not getting any credit
